A report which recommends selling off Fletcher Street Car Park in Stockport town centre for housing went to the Economy, Regeneration & Climate Change Scrutiny Committee on Thursday (15 June). 

The report recommended that the disposal of the Fletcher Street Car Park was approved, so that the land could be sold off for housing.  

Robert Goulsbra, head of development and regeneration at Stockport Council, said: "The aspiration is for a high-quality residential development.

"The site will contribute to delivering housing numbers in the town centre and also in the borough."

Scrutiny noted the report, and did not make any recommendations for changes. The report will go to the Cabinet on 27 June, where a decision will be made. 

The report argues that redevelopment of the site would address an environmental 'eyesore', making 'a visual improvement to the current derelict buildings on the adjacent site'.

Disposal of the site would generate an unspecified 'capital receipt' for the car park, which has raked in around £50,000 per year for the town hall over recent years.

Mr Goulsbra also argued at Scrutiny that the council would still have some control over the land, even after it was sold. 

"The sale will be on the basis of a 250 year development lease", he said. 

"The advantage of that to the council as landowner is it allows an element of control over deliverability of the site; if the preferred purchaser didn't deliver the site, there would be an opportunity to terminate the lease and that would come back to the council.  

"We can insert various milestones for planning permission, [...] so it allows us an element of control."

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